


Imprisoned

by quietpastelcolours



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Blood Kink, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Ganondorf is straight up a sadist, Incomplete, Knife Play, Light Torture, Manipulation, NSFW, No Romance, Stockholm Syndrome, This is technically zelgan, but it is by no means fluff, dubcon, he's a number one grade A arsehole in this, just manipulation, or rather Zelda is pretending to have it, peril scene, straight up torture kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-06-04 08:41:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6650740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietpastelcolours/pseuds/quietpastelcolours
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Princess Zelda is abducted by Ganondorf Dragmire, not, as she had presumed, for her Triforce, but for vengeance, she knows that she has to keep him happy or risk mutilation... or worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Abducted

The first thing Zelda became aware of was sounds. Fuzzy sounds, as though they were far away. Her body jolted, and she wrinkled her nose, hoping the carriage ride would be over soon, for a vicious headache hammered at her skull and pulsed behind her eyes.

 _Wait a minute._ Her eyes flew open in shock. She hadn’t been in a carriage. She’d been in her rooms by herself, when she’d heard glass breaking… and then, nothing. Zelda’s stomach dipped in the most disconcerting fashion as she realised there was a gag in her mouth and a blindfold covering her eyes. She blamed the sickening headache on why she hadn’t realised it sooner. Attempting to sit up and failing miserably, she suddenly realised her entire body was wrapped in some sort of material, thoroughly constricting her movements. A wave of terror washed over her as she registered that her wrists were bound behind her back; now she was aware of it, the pain of the position she was in throbbed up her arms, creating a nice concert with the ache in her skull and the nausea low in her belly. Swallowing hard, Zelda attempted to take stock of her surroundings.

Her wrists were bound, and she was inside some sort of… sack? From the feel of it, it was hessian, rough against her skin, keeping her from moving too much. She maneuvered her tongue, attempting to spit out the gag, but it was tied firmly around her head, and she couldn’t. Being similarly unable to remove the blindfold, Zelda listened in vain, attempting to hear if her kidnappers were talking, for that was certainly what was happening. She’d been kidnapped, stolen from her rooms and taken hostage. She was lying on something hard, rough timber from the feel of it, and from movement of the floor beneath her and the sound of the horses hooves, she surmised she was in some kind of carriage or wagon. Listening hard, Zelda realised her captors were speaking; just not in any tongue she knew. She was quite good with languages, and this… this was something she’d never before heard. It was a guttural, raspy growl, curiously accented. _Not human._

She focused her attention on her wrists then, testing her bonds, trying to see if she could wiggle her hands free. No luck – evidently, her abductors knew what they were doing. Zelda then considered the idea of attempting to scream through her gag. The plan hinged on whether or not they were in a populated area, whether she could work up enough volume through the sour fabric wedging her jaw open, and whether the kidnappers were inclined to be violent. The longer she lay there, however, the more her stomach twisted itself up in knots. The fact that she was missing a chunk of time out of her memory told her she’d been knocked unconscious, and she tried in vain to recall, to figure out how long she’d been missing now. Would the castle guards have noticed yet? Was there a ransom note? She wondered if her parents knew yet; and if so, what were they doing? The horse and carriage beneath her ambled along at a fairly sedate pace, so that told her they were not likely to be within range of Hylian soldiers. Unless the kidnappers were attempting to bluff their way through Hyrule as merchants or something of the sort. She furrowed her brow, mind made up, and screamed.

Almost instantly, the carriage lurched to a stop, and rough hands seized her. Zelda kept screaming as she writhed in the strange grip, twisting her body around violently, attempting to flee. Her screams almost drowned out the strange bestial language her captors spoke with, fear almost suffocating her. A hand groped along her body, pulling the sack roughly away, though she still couldn’t see anything, and then she felt the blinding impact of something solid hitting the back of her skull, and she faded into unconsciousness once more.

When Zelda next awoke, she lay quietly; indeed, her head hurt too much to do more than breathe, let alone even entertain the thought of moving. The bumps and jolts of the carriage were pure torture, each one sending a sharp spike of pain through her head, a dizzy feeling pressing on her eyes. She was now even less sure of how much time had passed since her abduction, and was forced to accept she wasn’t getting away anytime soon. Better, she decided, to wait and see where they were taking her – and maybe, just maybe, this awful headache would leave too.

Zelda passed the time by counting, and, to the best of her knowledge, several hours passed without any further molestation to her person. By this time, her head had lost a little of the pain, but the dizzying sensation returned whenever she attempted to open her eyes, and she still felt as though she would throw up at any moment. Not a pleasant thought, considering she was gagged.

Finally, however, she became aware of the fact that the carriage had stopped. Zelda tensed, trepidation creeping over her skin as her body ignoring her pain for the moment, opting in favour of fight or flight. Unfortunately, as she could neither, she was forced to lie there as the voices grew nearer. Deciding it would be far wiser to pretend to be unconscious still, she held her breath as one voice in particular washed over her.

Deep, dark and curiously accented, this voice spoke the bestial language fluently, but Zelda could tell it wasn’t his mother tongue. Even despite the fact that she could not see him, it was blindingly obvious that he was in charge.

Right now, he seemed to be quite angry, snapping questions to the audibly afraid creatures who’d taken her, which was followed by a guttural squeal of pain. That made the fear swirling low in her belly intensify; if his own men were afraid of him, then what kind of man was he? What would he do to her?

Large, warm hands touched her suddenly, and it took everything in her power not to jump in surprise. One hand took hold of her jaw and tilted her head back, the other sliding down to her neck _. Taking her pulse._ The man said something else, to which one of her kidnappers replied to with obvious relief; evidently, they were checking to see if she were dead. Well, she wasn’t, and Zelda wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what would happen next.

There was a flurry of voices, and then an authoritative command, and Zelda felt herself be scooped up into the arms of persons unknown. The footsteps of whoever was carrying her were nothing short of pure agony; with each jolt, her stomach lurched and threatened to expel her dinner. Distantly, she became aware of the fact she could feel a good deal more cold armour against her bare flesh than propriety allowed; horror ran through her at the realisation she was attired only in her flimsy night slip. By the Goddesses, what a situation to have ended up in! Try as she might, Zelda couldn’t seem to get her thoughts to stay aligned as they buzzed around in her skull, like moths around a flame. She took that plus the pain, nausea and dizziness she was experiencing to mean she was most probably concussed. Hopefully, she could sleep for a little while, wherever she was being taken. Granted, they thought she was unconscious still, so maybe she could sleep off her injury while they waited for her to regain consciousness for real.

After a few minutes, the wind blowing her nightgown around her ankles cut off, and Zelda knew she was inside a building of some sort. She was placed down upon a bed; a horrible, scratchy straw filled bed, but a bed nonetheless. Whatever had carried her pulled the blindfold from her eyes and the gag from her mouth, and Zelda fought to stay limp as he or she or _it_ set to work on her wrists; she was released from her bonds and rolled onto her back, her shoulders relaxing gratefully, before she was shackled by her right wrist to something, and the person departed with no further ado. There was silence, then, and she made herself count to thirty slowly after the door had shut before she opened her eyes. Her vision was still rather blurry, which was alarming, but Zelda could see well enough to determine that the room was empty, and she attempted to take stock of her surroundings. She appeared to be in a small room, no bigger than a cupboard really, furnished with a bed, a bucket, a chamber pot, and a stool. On the floor by the side of the bed was a small pitcher filled with water; whether it was for drinking, bathing, or something else entirely was not yet clear.

Zelda turned her attention to the shackle enclosing her wrist. Made of solid iron, it was connected to the bedframe, and it only took her a few moments consideration to realise she would never get it off by herself. With a small sigh, she attempted to relax into the prickly mattress, knowing that her wisest move now was to sleep and feel better, so she could assess the situation properly, and find out where she was and who had taken her. Despite her fear, she fell asleep quite quickly, and dreamed disturbing dreams of a faceless man with that strange, deep voice.

* * *

 When she next awoke, it was to the acrid scent of smelling salts almost jammed halfway up her nose. Zelda jerked backwards with a small cry, screwing her eyes shut as she sneezed, which made her head hurt. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see a hideous beast peering down at her, and she lurched backwards with a squeal of terror. It was roughly the size of a large man, but it had a pig for a face, vicious tusks protruding from its jaw. It wore amour, and when it saw she was awake, it spoke in that strange guttural language over its shoulder.

She shied into the wall as a second pig beast appeared in the doorway. The two creatures conferred for a moment, and then the first beast set down the smelling salts and seized her shoulders roughly, pulling her upright. It produced a key and unlocked her shackle, but before she could get excited, it jerked her hands behind her back and swiftly bound her wrists together; she surreptitiously attempted to see if she could free them, but apparently this pig thing knew how to tie people up securely. It jerked her into its arms then, and, escorted by the second pig beast, carried her through what resembled an enormous campsite. _An army campsite_. Zelda saw many pig beasts, along with humans and other things she had no name for, most of them preparing for sleep, for it was on dark. She took that to mean that she’d been travelling and asleep for at least one day.

Eventually, the pig things bore her to the door of an enormous wooden building, where the empty-handed pig beast knocked. After a moment, during which Zelda’s heart leaped into her throat, the same deep voice from last night echoed from within. The beasts pushed the heavy doors open slowly, and Zelda stared as the sole occupant came into view. This man was no monster like his men, though at the moment she rather disagreed with that assessment. He was the single biggest man she’d ever seen in her life; he towered over her, over the pig things, over everything. His skin was dark, the colour a curious grey-green, unlike anything she’d ever seen before, and he had long crimson hair that nearly reached his waist. Clad in imposing armour, he stood facing away from the door, reading something. The pig thing placed her on her feet, but feeling ill, Zelda sank to her knees, letting her head loll forwards, using her unbound hair as a shield. The two beasts shuffled out, closing the boor behind them, and suddenly she was alone with the man.

He seemed content to ignore her, and she studied him intently out of the corner of her eye. Somehow, he looked vaguely familiar to her. At length, the man turned around, placing the document on a massive desk, and his golden eyes met hers. At once, Zelda gasped. She’d never met him before in her life, but she knew who it was. A cruel smile ticked the corner of his mouth upwards, and he moved forwards slowly, assessing her.

“Well, Princess. How are you feeling?”

Zelda got the feeling he delighted in her pain. She decided to oblige him. “Awful.” She whispered through cracked lips. She struggled to swallow, and thought wistfully of cool water.

The man’s mouth twitched. “That’s to be expected. Moblins aren’t usually known for their finesse.”

“Moblins? You mean those pig things?”

A peculiar flash of anger brightened his gaze, and he didn’t speak for a moment. “Yes.” After a long pause, he smirked and approached her. “I’m very sorry, Princess.” He purred. “I’m being terribly rude.”

Zelda bit her lip as she stared up at him; she could barely see his face from her position on the floor.

“I haven’t even introduced myself yet.” He continued smoothly. “I am-”

“You’re the Demon King. You’re Ganondorf Dragmire.”

He watched her appraisingly. “I see you have heard of me. Excellent. That’ll save a good deal of explaining.”

Large hands took hold of her roughly; Zelda bit back a squeak as he picked her up so easily she might have been paper, crossing the room and depositing her on a chair before the desk. In another moment Ganondorf had untied her wrists, and she rubbed them cautiously, watching him as he crossed the room. He stood in front of a crystal decanter, and poured a sizable amount into two tumblers. Causally picking them up, he made his way back to her, placing one glass before her, and then sat down behind the desk, own glass in hand. He sipped his drink slowly, watching her, and Zelda picked up her glass gingerly.

“What is it?” She asked in a small voice. 

“Brandy.”

Zelda looked at him for a long moment. "I - I don't suppose I could ask for water instead?" She asked as timidly as she could - by the Goddesses her head hurt.

Ganondorf merely smirked cruelly. "No. Drink the brandy I've so kindly offered you."

She winced at the thought and stared at the drink for a long moment and sniffed it suspiciously, before taking a tiny sip. She didn’t want to insult and therefore anger him by refusing the drink, and yet, with her headache, she certainly didn’t want any alcohol.

Nursing the crystal in her lap, she studied him intently, attempting to ignore her aching head in favour of dredging up anything she’d ever heard about Ganondorf Dragmire, the former King of the Gerudo. She knew he hadn’t been sighted in years, and it was common knowledge that he’d disappeared along with the last of his people. However, the man before her was very much alive, and she’d heard the stories often enough to recognise him instantly. There was only one man on this earth who looked the way he did.

Zelda bit her lip, wondering if she dared ask him… as it turned out, she did. “May I ask what I’m doing here?”

Ganondorf’s mouth ticked back up into that unsettlingly cruel grin. “Do you really want to know?” He asked, throwing back the rest of his liquor with a satisfied smirk.

She stared at him for a long moment. Did she? “…I think so.” She replied finally.

The Gerudo frowned. “You are here…” he began slowly. “…to absolve the sins of your past.”

 _Well, that made no sense_. “Sins?” Zelda asked timidly.

He scowled. “Do not pretend to be ignorant. A life for a life, that’s what this is. The flesh of the daughter to pay for the actions of the father.” She began to think he talked in riddles.

“I don’t understand.” She said, frowning slightly herself. “My father? Do you accuse him of some wrongdoing?”

“Some _wrongdoing?”_ Ganondorf sounded incredulous, but swiftly collected himself. “Yes, I do. I take it by that you don’t know what your father did. I refuse to go into the details, but rest assured-” A dark shadow crossed his face. “-what he did will not go unpunished.”

“And… you need me for that?” She asked quietly, somewhat afraid of his answer.

“What better way to hurt a man?” Ganondorf asked rhetorically. “-than by taking his daughter?”

What better way indeed. “What exactly do you intend to do with me?” She asked, very cautiously.

That wicked grin was back. “You’ll find out.”

He stood then, and moved around the desk, gripping her chin firmly and tilting her head back to appraise her form carefully. Zelda barely restrained her shiver of fear as his gaze roamed over her body, lingering on the bare swell of her breasts. She wished she had more clothing than her nightgown on, for more reasons then just the cold.

“Hmm.” Ganondorf let her go suddenly, and flicked a casual hand at the door. It swung open with a creak and groan of hinges, as he seized her hands, rebinding them behind her back. The bindings were far tighter than when the pig thing – the moblin – had done it, and they cut into her wrists painfully. Shadows in the door way told her the two moblins were back, and at a rough order from the Gerudo King, one of them moved forwards, lifting her out of the chair and bearing her back across the camp to the small cramped room, where the new bindings were stripped from her wrists and she was once again shackled to the bed post.

Zelda huddled against the wall, attempting to sort out her thoughts. Ganondorf had accused her father of something; did the accusation hold weight, or was he lying? She felt sick with fear as she recalled what he’d said about the flesh of the daughter paying for the sins of the father. Worse still was when he’d said a life for a life. Did he intend to kill her? It rather looked that way. After an hour of drowning in her own thoughts, Zelda was startled out of her revere by the door opening to reveal a squat, goblin looking creature with great horns sticking out of its head; it bore a small tray, which it set down on the floor, slamming and locking the door behind it.

Zelda could barely just reach the tray with her foot; apparently, the creature hadn’t taken her restraints into account, and pulled she it towards her. It was her dinner, which consisted of a tiny bowl of thin meat stew of very dubious origin, a chunk of bread, and a small tin cup of sour tasting water. She wrinkled her nose, but ate without complaint; it was a far cry from the delicious dinners of home, but who knew how often they intended to feed her?

* * *

Far away, a young man clad in green was saddling his horse with grim determination. Link had just come from an audience with the King and Queen of Hyrule, who had tearfully informed him that the Princess Zelda had been snatched from her rooms, and that the guards had failed to retrieve her. A letter had been left, identifying her captor as Ganondorf Dragmire, the King of All Evil… Link swallowed hard at the thought of the task ahead of him.

“Link!”

He turned around, shielding his eyes from the sun. Malon hurried towards him, carrying a leather knapsack and a bedroll.  
“I’ve packed your provisions for you.” She said anxiously. “That way you can leave sooner.”

Link smiled at her. “Thanks Malon. I appreciate it.”

The girl grinned back. “Good luck! I hope you find the princess soon.”

“So do I.” He said, leading Epona from the stall and mounting her on the block outside. Impulsively, he leaned forwards and kissed Malon’s cheek, making her blush. “So long, Malon.” He said, raising a hand in farewell.

“Not _too_ long, I hope.” She replied with a grin. “Bye, Link.”  
With that, he kicked Epona into a steady canter and headed away from Lon Lon ranch and safety, towards the perilous unknown of the Trilby Highlands, which was as far as the kidnappers had been traced before the castle guards had lost them. He’d been summoned to the castle that morning, and it was noon now, and so far, the princess had been missing for two days. According to the information given by the castle guards, the captors had been large, aggressive, two in number – and not human, which meant Dragmire had not attended the kidnapping in person. Whether that was good or bad, Link wasn’t sure.

Once Link had reached the site of the final skirmish in the highlands, he slowed Epona to a halt and dismounted, scouting the area for clues. Faint tracks led away towards the Kokiri forest, and Link whistled Epona over, remounting and following the tracks for as long as they lasted, which was until they got into the forest, and the thick carpet of leaves covering the ground prevented the wheels from sinking into the ground. _Well_ , thought Link to himself, _let’s see how good my tracking skills are then._

* * *

Zelda was left in the small freezing room for three days without seeing a face beyond the goblin thing that brought her meals; and wasn’t _that_ pitiful? A small bowl of stew and chunk of barely edible bread was all she got per day, and by the fourth day, she was getting quite hungry. She was recovered from her concussion by now, and, without the sickening headache and fear clouding her mind, she was quite put out with how… _docile_ … she’d been in Ganondorf’s presence. It was not usually in her nature to be quiet so demure, and she could only put it down to her head injury. She was determined not to quite so timid the next time she saw him, if indeed he _would_ see her again. She was losing hope with each passing day.

On the sixth day, Zelda was standing up, attempting to stretch her legs. The manacle was chained to the side of the bed closest to the wall, and it was awkward indeed trying to stand, for the chain was short, and she ended up having to lean halfway over the bed. It certainly made using the chamber pot exceedingly awkward. At that moment, the door opened to reveal the same moblin that had carried her about last time. It made a decidedly lascivious grunt as its gaze fastened onto her backside, which, owing to the chains, was rather pointing towards the door. Zelda squeaked in realisation and twisted around to sit on the bed, a new kind of fear twisting through her. Were these things going to rape her? It was a distinct possibility, and her stomach churned as she watched the piggish snout snuffle into a pleased sort of smirk, before the creature advanced, unlocking her shackles in a business-like manner.

Once more, her hands were bound behind her, though this time, the moblin did not carry her. It merely gripped her upper arm and led her along. It was full day now, and all the occupants of the camp stared at her with undisguised interest as she was dragged past, the rough stone ground biting into her bare feet.

Ganondorf watched the approach of the princess through the window closed against the chill of winter; noting the way she kept her head up, chin set. Now she had recovered from the moblins knocking her over the head – _bloody fools_ – she would no doubt wish to inquire further as to her future. Her loose hair and long white nightgown blew softly in the breeze, and he had to admit she looked rather like a fanciful painting; a virgin being taken to sacrifice. He scowled slightly as he took in the way the rest of his men were openly staring at Zelda’s body; the thin night slip didn’t offer much protection, and it was blindingly obvious she didn’t wear anything beneath it. Her nipples were clearly visible through the flimsy fabric in the sunlight, and even he had to admit she was quite appealing.

As the princess and her escort approached the door, he moved across to stand before the fire, watching the flames as there came a knock.

“Enter.” He said in the moblin tongue, not looking around until Zelda was inside, and the door was shut behind the creature.

Turning, he found himself face to face with a decidedly unimpressed princess. Her chin was out, and her eyes were angry. He smirked lazily, and motioned to the desk.

“Would you care to take a seat?” He asked, moving to stand behind her as he unbound her wrists, savouring the shiver that ran over her skin as he did so.

“Thank you.” She said unfeelingly; he got the impression that if she hadn’t had had etiquette and manners drilled into her for her entire life, Zelda might not have answered him at all.

Wrists unbound, Ganondorf lifted a hand to the side of her neck, smoothing it along her bare shoulder, smirking as she shied away from him with a glare. Her skin was flawless, which was just as he had expected. He’d enjoy marking her.

Gesturing to the chair, he moved around the desk to his own seat, and sat for a few minutes, carefully examining her as she got over the last of her shivers from the cold. Zelda had schooled her features into a calm if slightly irritated neutral, but she couldn’t hide the flicker of fear that lurked in her lovely blue eyes. Part of him wished to see that fear take over, but for now, he reined himself in. He had questions for her, and he doubted she’d be forthcoming with her answers if he scared her too much. His lip curled as his gaze roamed over her once more; she was the very epitome of Hylian extravagance; her hands had never seen a hard days work, her skin had never been punished by the sun, she had never gone hungry. Her hair was long and clearly well kept, despite the fact it hadn’t been brushed in a while. Her nightgown, too, was frivolous, a construction of flimsy linen and lace, though with the excellent view of her breasts he was afforded, Ganondorf was rather inclined to let this one slide.

Zelda was clearly aware of the fact that he watched her, for she crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back slightly and looked uncomfortable. He allowed a lazy smirk to grace his features, and he leaned back, enjoying the uncomfortable silence.

Zelda sat there and fumed, angry at the ease with which this man had abruptly taken control of her life, angry at the way he leered and smirked, angry at the way his gaze lingered on her breasts. She twisted her mouth up, trying to restrain herself, but the longer he just sat there and watched her, clearly enjoying himself, the more furious she became. Finally, she couldn’t stand it a second longer. Zelda shot to her feet to glare at the Gerudo King, who looked surprised, then amused.

“What do you want with me?” She hissed. "Why drag me in here if you're not going to speak?"

Ganondorf stared at the princess, feeling quite amused. She had her fists clenched by her side, eyes crackling, and her chin was raised. A fine picture of wrath, if not for the fact that the glow of the fireplace had turned her nightgown transparent. He took his time in answering her, letting his gaze roam over her form, smirking as his attentions only made her angrier.

“What I want is none of your concern, Princess.” He began, but Zelda cut him off. She strode forwards around the desk and stood beside his chair, arms folded, eyes smouldering with rage.

“ _Tell me.”_ She snapped. 

Ganondorf’s eyes narrowed, and he glared at her. He did not like the way she was speaking now. “…You think I will?”

She nodded furiously, a bright spark of anger lighting up her eyes. “ _Yes_. I may be a prisoner, but I am the Princess of Hyrule, and you _will_ treat me with the condescension my rank affords. Tell me-”

It took him a moment for the words to be fully comprehended, but when they were, he snapped his arm out, tangling his fingers in Zelda’s hair, ripping her head back and forcing her to her knees beside him. Ganondorf turned in his chair, pulling her body so she was flush against him. Her body curved, and his other hand pressed into the small of her back, holding her against him as her hands shot up to try and tug his grip from her hair.

“Is that so?” He asked simply, pulling her head back further, revealing her throat. Ganondorf stared at her, tracing the smooth column of her throat with his gaze, feeling quite tempted to continue his perusal of her flesh with his hands. Instead, he tightened his grip in her hair as her fingers tightened around his wrist. Her position was really quite alluring, the tiny gasps escaping her throat more so. Loosing a dagger from the belt at his waist, Ganondorf traced the cold steel over her cheek, under her jaw and down her throat. The fearful gasp she let out fed his soul, and slowly, delicately, he pressed the blade against her skin, dragging it over her unmarred flesh, marking it for the first time. He’d cut her just below her collarbone, and through the haze of her groan of pain, he watched, fascinated, as vivid crimson welled and broke the surface, trickling down into the swell of her cleavage.

Ganondorf loosened his grip on her hair slightly and pulled her face up so she had to meet his gaze, then very slowly and deliberately, raised the blade to his tongue, tasting her essence. Her gaze was shocked and horrified, and then she looked disgusted, attempting to squirm out of his grip.

Zelda tried to swallow her fear, ignoring the pain of her wound. She stared at Ganondorf as he licked the blade, tasting every last drop of blood on it. When he made a sound very close to pleasure, a wave of nausea washed through her. What sort of deranged sadistic man was this? He found hurting her pleasurable. It occurred to her that demanding his respect might not have been the smartest thing to do.

“Let go of me.” She hissed, and Ganondorf’s eyes only glowed brighter as he lowered the blade back to her skin, idly tracing patterns in the base of her throat. She tried to twist out of his grip once more, but his fingers tightened in her hair, threatening to rip it out by the roots, and she stilled as he pressed his free hand to her spine, dropping the dagger to the floor, and leaned in close. His mouth brushed her ear, and Zelda shivered, for this was the closest she’d ever been to a man, and her body certainly knew it. The Gerudo did not wear amour as he had the last time they had spoken, merely trousers and a loose vest. She could feel each and every inch of his form as he pressed against her, feeling the shifting of solid muscle, and slightly lower down, she felt the stirring of something against her belly. She may not have been with many men, but Zelda was not ignorant. She knew then that he found this arousing, and the knowledge of it made her close her eyes and groan in pain and disgust as he spoke.

“Never.” He breathed against her ear. “You are mine now, Princess. I seek vengeance, and _you_ , my pretty, are my ticket. Don’t think you’ll ever get out of here _alive_.”

Zelda refused to give him the satisfaction of her reaction, focusing instead on the burn at her collarbone, using the pain to focus her thoughts. Even if her father had given her up… there was still the hero. She focused on him – she’d never met him, but she knew her parents knew who bore the Triforce of Courage, knew they’d have sent for him the moment they realised she’d been taken – wait.

“Do my parents know?” She whispered, and Ganondorf looked a little confused – she’d evidently thrown him from his train of thought.

“What?”

“Do they know it’s you who’ve taken me, I mean.”

“Ganondorf’s brow cleared. “Ah.” He twisted his hand a little tighter in her hair, and the other roamed over her waist. “I had a letter left for them. They know exactly who’s taken you – and _why_.”

Zelda tried nodding but didn’t get very far. This was good news – this meant her parents had a definitive target, and more to the point, the hero did as well. He would find her. She had faith in him. Zelda brought him to the forefront of her mind as though her soul could call him here. He would come, as it was destined. He would come.

Ganondorf released her quite abruptly then, dropping her to the floor. Zelda picked herself up and pressed a hand to her wound, attempting to slow the bleeding as he grinned at her, eyes bright. She stood there, eyes downcast, unsure of what she ought to do next. The Gerudo King’s behaviour had thrown her off balance. Whereas before she’d been quite willing to argue with him, he’d proven he was not averse to hurting her, and now her sense of self-preservation kicked in. She watched him warily, wondering what he would do next.

She watched as he leaned back in his chair, looking perfectly at ease once more. He motioned to her chair, and slowly, Zelda sat down again.

He smirked. “Nothing to say?”

Zelda glared at him, but held her tongue. To tell the truth, she had no idea what to say. What did you say to a man who had hurt you on purpose, and enjoyed it?

With a slight chuckle, he looked towards the fire, then back to her. “Then I suppose we ought to get down to business, Princess.”

Zelda frowned. “What do you mean?” She asked hesitantly.

A self-satisfied grin covered his features. “We must work out the details of our arrangement.”

She raised a brow. “You call it that, do you?”

The grin twitched. “You are quite bold, Princess. I’ve given you a taste of what will come should you disobey me, and now I come to find it is not enough.”

Considering her words carefully, Zelda frowned slightly. “You want me for something. If you wanted me dead, you could have had me killed in my bedchamber, but you’ve taken me hostage instead.” She tilted her head. “I don't think you will do much.”

One of his brows slowly arched, a rather incredulous look on his face as he assessed her. “You are right, Princess…”

Zelda’s breath escaped her in a small rush of relief.

“…But you are also wrong.” Ganondorf chuckled darkly. “You do not need all of your fingers or your limbs to do what I want.”

Her lips parted in horror. “You plan to mutilate me?”

“ _If_ you displease me.”

Zelda considered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Then I suppose it would be in my best interests to… please you.” She nearly closed her eyes in embarrassment, having said the words before considering their full meaning. Ganondorf’s smirk widened, and she knew he had caught the unintentional allusion.

“I am glad of that, Princess.” He was holding a sharp paperknife, absentmindedly flipping it around. “See that you do.”

Zelda didn’t say anything further, just watched the movement of the paperknife warily.

After several long minutes, she decided that if he wasn’t going to speak, she would.

“What are your plans for me?” She asked, as businesslike as possible. “Am I to spend all my time chained to that miserable bed?” She furrowed a delicate brow. “You said something about arrangements?”

Ganondorf smirked at her, leaning back in his seat. “Indeed. You won’t be staying in that room.”

Zelda stared at him suspiciously. “…Where will I be going then? Am I staying here?” She attempted to be flippant, but she wasn’t sure it worked.

Something about her statement amused him. “Not quite, Princess.” Ganondorf leaned forwards, eyes gleaming. “You will be staying in my quarters.”

Zelda froze, her mind screaming at her. He intended… oh Goddesses, he intended…

She shook her head frantically. “No!”

“You forget, Princess, that you haven’t any choice.” That cruel smirk was back. “I can guess your feelings now. You fear the loss of your virtue.”

Zelda stared at him in outrage. How dare he mention such a thing? She wasn’t a virgin, but he apparently thought she was. She frowned. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage somehow. He continued before she could speak.

“But that is not my intention.” Ganondorf snickered slightly. “I’ve always wanted a slave.”

She raised an incredulous brow. “A _slave?_ You can’t be serious.”

“Perfectly so.”

“I am a princess, _not_ a slave.” She snapped, her anger rising once more.

“I know what you are. That’s what will make this all the more enjoyable.”

Ganondorf stood then, striding around the desk and stopped next to her. A jerk of his chin told her he wanted her to stand. She did, and taking hold of her upper arm, he dragged her towards the door. This was not the massive entryway that led outside, rather, this was a nondescript doorway set in the far back of the room. It opened into a small antechamber that was completely dark, and Ganondorf dragged her through it into another room, roughly the size of the first. The first thing she noticed was the simply enormous bed shoved against one wall. The furnishing was simple but heavy, with a few chairs scattered about the place, a massive fireplace, a desk, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and strangely, a pianoforte. She wouldn’t have picked Ganondorf to be the musical type. Several large furs covered the floor, and a huge map of Hyrule and her surrounding territories hung on the wall.

Ganondorf released her, and crossed to one of the chairs, beckoning her over. Zelda move forwards cautiously. As it had been in the other room, the fireplace was the only source of light, creating an atmosphere of very unwelcome intimacy. The Gerudo put is hand on top of a shapeless mass sitting on the chair.

“This will be your bedding. Feel free to put it wherever you like.” He then crossed to the left side of the room, picking up a long chain attached to an iron loop embedded in the wall.

“Come here.”

Zelda moved closer very unwillingly. In a move that scared the living daylights out of her, Ganondorf suddenly crouched down and seized her ankle. She yelped and tottered, reaching out blindly for something to save her from falling over. That thing turned out to be Ganondorf’s shoulder, which made him snicker and her flush. He swiftly clicked the manacle into place, then stood, agonisingly slow, so close his chest almost brushed hers. Zelda blushed deeply in the dim light and stepped back. Despite who he was and what he was doing to her, she couldn’t deny that he was the most inherently masculine man she’d ever seen, and on some very unwelcome level, her body seemed to recognise that.

She saw light from the fire glinting off pointed teeth as he replied. “I’ll leave you to become acquainted with your new home, Princess, and when I return, you’ll be able to begin your duties.”

Zelda wrinkled her nose but nodded quietly, desperate for some time to herself to sort out her thoughts. With that, Ganondorf, apparently satisfied, turned on his heel and left the room. The dull clank of the key in the lock sounded very final as it echoed through the room. Waiting until she could no longer hear his footsteps, Zelda bent down to examine the chain around her ankle. To her dismay, it did not yield to her attempts to open it. She took a deep breath and straightened, gazing around the room. The next thing to do would be to explore. He _had_ told her to get acquainted. She took a few steps, wincing at the grating noise of the heavy chain on wood, and crossed to the desk, where she could make out the shape of a candelabrum. Picking it up, she took it to the fireplace, lighting the candles, then carefully traced the walls of the room, searching for alternate exits and hidden. There were two doors and one window, and all were firmly locked; the window shutters could be opened, but it was fitted with heavy iron bars to prevent escape.

Zelda’s attention turned back to the desk. Perhaps it might hold something that she could use as a lock pick. She spent a good deal of time carefully rifling through the drawers, but came up empty. She did find a long pin, however, and after some thought, she threaded it carefully into a thicker part of her gown, trusting the lace to conceal it. If worse came to worse, and he did attempt to touch her, she could jam it into his eye socket.

Finding nothing else of interest but more unlit candles, Zelda set about lighting the lot, until the room glowed with light. She traced her fingers over the ivory keys of the pianoforte, but did not play a note, opting instead to trace a few patterns in the dusty lid. Next, she examined the bookcase. It was very large and full, some of the old shelves sagging under the weight of the books crammed into it. Zelda turned back to the pile of bedding on the chair, and went to look at it, trying to ignore the sound of the chain scraping the floorboards. Her bedding turned out to be a flimsy bedroll and a few musty smelling blankets. Looking around, Zelda picked up her bundle and carried it to the corner furthest away from Ganondorf’s bed – a small space in between the pianoforte and the bookcase. Spreading the roll on the floor, Zelda tested it and found it lacking. After several moments thought, she scooped up one of the thick fur rugs and laid it beneath the bedroll. It wasn’t good by any stretch of the imagination, but it would have to do. After a little while her new bed resembled a nest of sorts, and Zelda peered around. She’d already taken the fur rug and two throw blankets draped over some chairs, and now all she wanted was a pillow. After considerable consternation, she crossed to Ganondorf’s bed and stole one of his. Plumping it up, she dropped it into her nest and then, with nothing better to do, she poked through the bookcase and then curled up with a book.

Her thoughts returned to the Demon King. Just what exactly were her ‘duties’, and how could she get out of them? She stole another look at his bed and shivered. He’d said it wasn’t his intention to touch her, but she didn’t trust that one bit. He was obviously trying to get her to lower her guard. Strangely enough, he hadn’t mentioned her Triforce yet. According to the legends, the Triforce was what he sought most often, and now he had Wisdom under his own roof, and he neglected to mention it. Zelda could make neither heads nor tails of it. There was no denying it – this was a terrible situation to have ended up in, and she’d have to keep all her wits about her if she intended to stay in one piece.


	2. Bloody Warnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link finally picks up a lead to the princess's whereabouts, while Zelda fumes over being Ganondorf's slave. She lets her anger get the better of her, and swiftly figures out why its not a good idea to challenge the Demon King.

Deep in the Kokiri Forest, Link and Epona were exploring, attempting to work out in which direction the princess had been taken. They’d been in the forest for days, and Link was becoming more and more annoyed with himself. “The princess is waiting for me!” He hissed through his teeth. “How can I be the hero if I can’t find her?” He looked down at the Triforce inscribed on the back of his hand.

“Ridiculous.” He snapped at a passing tree. “ _Courage_. What use is that to me now? Would I be the bearer of Sleep, I could go no slower.” Dispirited, he slumped down in the saddle, imagining the fear of the princess as she no doubt cowered before the beasts that had taken her.

“Link!”

“Hey Link!”

It’s _Link!”_

Hallo Link!”

He started as several childlike voices called his name, looking around until he spied several Kokiri running towards him through the trees. He grinned and dismounted, kneeling before them as the tiny pixie like creatures ran over. Maybe they’d seen which way the princess had been taken.

Link knew these particular Kokiri – they were friends met on previous adventures.

“Hey guys.” He called, waiting for them to arrive. They did, and he beamed at the four small childlike beings.

“Link!”

“What are you doing here?” Chirped Faphi. “Are you having an adventure?”

“Something of that sort.” He said with a laugh. “Listen guys – Princess Zelda’s been kidnapped.”  
They all gasped in horror and crowded closer. “Ohh, poor princess!” Crooned Ledu.

“Are you looking for her, Link?” Asked Kusnel.

“Yes.” He pointed back the way he came. “Nearly a week ago now, but she was taken by two big monsters and put in a wagon. I’ve been following the tracks, but they faded once I got into the deep woods. Have you heard anything?”

“Monsters with a wagon?”

He turned to face Ledu. “Yes! Did you see it?”

The little Kokiri nodded. “Yes! They were pig monsters!”

“Pig monsters? _Moblins_.” Link frowned, considering this. Moblins did not typically act this way on their own, usually, someone or something directed them. _But_ , he reminded himself, there hasn’t been any serious sort of enemy activity in Hyrule for years. Not since…. _Oh no._

Link swallowed hard. If he was right…. And it _was_ Ganondorf Dragmire… then he was in for some difficulty.

Ledu nodded. “I don’t know what their names are.” She said apologetically. “But there were two of them, and they had a big sack in the back of their wagon, and I thought it was funny because the sack was wriggling.”

His heart dropped like a stone. “Princess Zelda.” He muttered, clenching a fist. “Which way did they go?”

Ledu hummed. “They went… towards the mountains.”

Link nodded, his heart in his throat, and stood up. “Thanks Ledu!” He shouted, running towards Epona.

“Where are you going?” Shouted the little Kokiri as they ran forwards.

“To save the Princess, of course.” He said. “It’s been a week already, I have to get to her!”

“But you can’t go now!” Implored Faphi. “It’s right on dark! You’ll never find your way!”

Damn it all, she was right. “Well, what am I supposed to do?” He asked almost desperately. “I can’t just wait around forever.”

“Come to our village.” Said Kusnel importantly. “We can give you a good night’s food and rest, and you’ll be ready to rescue the princess in the morning.”

It sounded like a plan. “Lead the way.” He said, helping the four creatures on board Epona, and striking forth under their directions towards the village.

 

* * *

 

Ganondorf strode through the small antechamber, pausing to pull the key from his pocket. Unlocking the door, he made to stride through, only to pull up short at the sight that met his eyes. The chamber blazed with light and warmth, candles sitting on most flat surfaces, and there was no princess in sight. With a growl, he moved into the chamber, following the chain with his eyes. There was _no way_ she could have escaped, but if she had - _ah_. His gaze landed in the corner furthest away from him, and that’s where he found the princess. She was sitting on her bedding, strongly resembling a rabbit as she stared, frozen and wide eyed at him.

“I see you took it upon yourself to light all my candles.” He said irritably, walking towards her. Zelda pulled her shoulders back, pressing against the wall.

She swallowed. “I – I could barely see an inch in front of my nose.”

“Hmm.” Now he was close enough to see her properly, he frowned at what she was sitting on. “So you decided to take my blankets too?” A second later, he saw something else she’d appropriated, and raised a brow. “Is that my pillow?”

Zelda pulled it into her lap, setting down the book she’d been reading. _So she’s helped herself to my books, too_ , he thought sourly. Typical spoiled princess brat, thinking she can have all she likes.

“You told me to become acquainted with this chamber.” She said. “What better way to do that than by sleeping on this?”

Ganondorf felt his lips twitch of their own accord. She was certainly bold.

“I might have said that, Princess, but I did not expect you to take it so literally.” He moved away from her, and sat down at his desk, ignoring her. He sat in silence for over an hour, working on his correspondence, perfectly aware of the fact that she watched him nervously.

At length, he set down his pen, stretched slightly, and turned to face the princess. Zelda frowned slightly as she met his gaze. He motioned towards the west wall, where a chain hung from the ceiling. “Order tea.”

The princess’s brows drew together, and it took her a long moment, but she stood up hesitantly. After a few more seconds in which she did nothing, he rolled his eyes.

“Didn’t you hear me? _Order tea_.”

She started moving then, crossing the floor with a hideous grating noise that made him scowl slightly; he’d underestimated the sound of the chains scaping across the floor. Zelda tugged the bell-pull; it set off a low chime. After a few moments, there came a sliding noise, and a panel in the wall lowered, revealing a bulbin. Zelda jumped, and the creature did too as they stared at each other. The bulbin looked past Zelda, casting a slightly incredulous and questioning look at him. Ganondorf nodded, and the creature turned back to the princess.

“Um…” She said. “Tea… please?”

The bulbin stared at her, and she at it. Ganondorf realised with a huff of irritation that the bulbin spoke no Hylian, and she no Bulbanoin. Rolling his eyes, he repeated the request and ordered the evening meal while he was at it, and the creature jabbered its response and withdrew, the panel sliding shut once more. Zelda turned to stare at him, and he frowned at her.

“You do know how to make tea, don’t you?” He asked. “Or do the servants do everything for the pampered princess?”

She bristled. “I can make tea.”

He nodded in dismissal and turned back to his paperwork, ignoring her again. She simply stood still for the several minutes it took for the bulbin to return bearing a large and steaming kettle of water. She took it and looked at him for a moment, and he jerked his head at the side table where he kept his tea things. Zelda put the kettle down and prepared a cup and saucer.

“How do you take it?” She asked over her shoulder.

Ganondorf’s lips curled up into a smirk; he could think of a very different answer to the one she was expecting. “Half a spoonful of the red jar, one spoonful of the black; steep for three minutes and strain it well.” He was quite particular about his tea, having discovered his preferred blend long ago.

Once the drink was made, Zelda carried it over and placed on the table besides him. He took an experimental sip, and to his surprise, it was decent. Zelda apparently didn’t want any, because she went and sat back down on her bedding. _Her loss._

It took roughly half an hour for their food to arrive, but when there came a knock at the door. A gentle motion of the hand and magic shimmered around the door, and it opened to reveal two bulbins, who entered, placed the trays they carried on the side table next to the tea, and left. Ganondorf used his magic to shut the door behind them, and turned to raise a brow at Zelda.

“Well?” He asked. “Bring me my meal.”

She scowled but stood up, crossing the room to examine the trays. Ganondorf watched her keenly as she picked up the first empty bowl, not trusting her enough not to spit in it. She filled the bowl with stew and brought it to his desk, returning for the loaf of bread and bringing him three quarters of it.

She looked distinctly unimpressed as she collected her own bowl and the rest of the bread, taking it back to her bedding to eat.

He considered asking her exactly why she’d gotten her food without asking for his permission, but he simply couldn’t be bothered, settling for eating his stew while reading the reports of his scouts.

Zelda ate in silence as she fumed. How dare he treat her in this fashion? She could see it in his face: Ganondorf liked ordering about, liked seeing the humiliation in her eyes. She had half a mind to throw her bread at him, and possibly would, if she wasn’t sure he’d cut off her fingers for it. Once he’d finished eating, he snapped his fingers at the bowl without even looking at her. Zelda snarled a few choice words under her breath as she stood up, seizing his bowl roughly from the desk and placing them back on the tray. At his urging, she then rang the bell for the bulbin, sliding the trays through the panel once it had opened.

Zelda turned around to realise that Ganondorf had risen; he had moved silently across the room, and was now standing before his wardrobe. She quickly scooted back across to her nest, climbing in and peering with very wide eyes over the top of her pillow, for it was very obvious what he was doing. He was undressing. She hugged the pillow tighter as his naked chest came into view; she’d never seen such an expanse of flesh before. His dark skin drew her eyes like a magnet, her gaze running over solid well-hewn muscle marked with scars. Zelda bit her lip, petrified he would come over to her after all. But he didn’t, merely pausing to smirk at her before he sat down on the edge of his bed, shucking his boots before he lay down. After another moment, he raised a hand and clenched it, causing every candle in the room to extinguish itself, plunging the room into darkness, apart from the faint glow of the dying fireplace. She lay there, afraid to move, but as no sounds came from that side of the room, and as no unwelcome hands came to lie themselves on her person, Zelda eventually relaxed enough to fall asleep.

 

* * *

 

Ganondorf awoke feeling immensely pleased with himself, thought it took him a moment to remember why. As his thoughts trickled back into his mind, he sat up, peering into the corner of the room where the princess had laid down to rest. Zelda was still there, curled up fast asleep, and he smirked as his gaze ran down the length of her body. Cool air seeped in through the edges of the windows, and his attention turned towards the fireplace, which had died down during the night. Ganondorf hated the cold, despised the weather of the miserable damp mountainous hideout he was forced to endure; the only good thing about it was the plentiful trees for firewood. He set about rebuilding the fire, not caring about his noise level as he dragged timber from the pile, tossing them into the flames, then sitting back on his haunches to warm his hands.

Slight movement from Zelda’s corner told him she was awake. Tossing a casual glance over his shoulder, Ganondorf assessed her as the princess’s groggy look faded to be replaced by alarm. So she’d forgotten where she was during the night. Well, he’d have fun ensuring she never did again.

“Order breakfast.” He snapped, looking away from her and flexing his fingers. After a moment, he heard the scraping of chains against the floorboards. After another moment, she spoke.

“Will I get a bulbin that speaks Hylian this time?”

Ganondorf scowled into the flames. He hadn’t thought of that. “ _Carjuvk_.” He growled. “The word for breakfast is _Carjuvk_.”

After another moment, he heard the panelling slide open, and the princess’s very hesitant voice repeat the Bulbanoin word, to which the creature slid the panelling shut, evidently having understood. Ganondorf stood up, moving to jerk a book from the shelf, not particularly caring which as he lay down on his bed.

The food arrived some minutes later, and Ganondorf waited to see what she would do. To Zelda’s credit, she immediately took the tray to the table and started serving the meal without complaint. _Hmm_. Perhaps she wouldn’t need a great deal of training after all. Footsteps alerted him to her presence as her shadow fell over him.

“Breakfast is served.” She said in a voice sweeter than honey. She placed the tray down on the bed besides him, plainly doing her best not to smile. As she turned away, he clearly saw her grin. Ganondorf sat up, pulling the tray closer and staring at it in suspicion. _She’s done something to it_. That was his initial reaction as he glared at the tray. Breakfast was made up of a bowl of gruel, an apple, and a thick slice of buttered toast. Frowning hard, he looked up at the princess, watching a Zelda smiled at him in a most evil fashion, before she took her own gruel and sat down on her bedding, her gaze never leaving his for a moment. _What has she done?_

Zelda barely refraining from snickering as the Demon King glared at her.

“What have you done to this?” He asked suspiciously, and Zelda smiled sweetly at him.

“Nothing.” She replied truthfully; truly, she hadn’t done a thing, but he didn’t need to know that, and she knew he’d never believe her.

Ganondorf looked back down to the tray again, and she smiled at his reaction. He was so suspicious. His head snapped up again, his gaze boring into hers.

“What. Have. You. _Done?”_ His voice grew louder with each clipped word.

Zelda’s smile faded as she stared at him. Despite her bravado, her heart was beating fast and her palms sweated slightly. She didn’t want to push him too far, and yet…

“I will make you a deal.” Her voice sounded a good deal steadier than she had expected it to.

Her words gave Ganondorf pause, for he shifted his vivid hair behind his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “Oh?” He asked nastily.

Zelda nodded bravely, gathering all her pluck to look him in the eyes.

“Did nobody ever tell you not to make deals with demons, Princess?” He asked silkily.

She squared her shoulders. “But you are not a demon; you are merely their King.”

Ganondorf blinked at her, then threw back his head and laughed. It was a cruel, dark sound and Zelda shivered slightly as the light glinted off his exposed canines.

“Touché, Princess.” He sounded amused. “Very well. For curiosities sake; what would you ask of me?”

Zelda licked her lips nervously. “I only ask for some proper clothes.”

Ganondorf watched her, that unsettling grin playing around his mouth once more. “What? And lose that excellent view?”

She blushed violently and looked away; such crudity did not often come her way. Zelda knew, of course, that her flimsy nightgown covered very little; she’d felt more than one pair of eyes fixated on her backside as she was led across the camp.

Her irritation got the better of her. “Then I suppose you can fix your own breakfast.” She snapped, then instantly regretted it as stony silence met her from his end of the room. Her spine prickled as he stood up slowly, moving closer, and she shifted involuntarily closer to the wall. Ganondorf stood in front of her, arms folded, eyes hard.

“Stand up.” He growled.

She stood slowly, apprehension settling in the pit of her stomach like a stone. The moment she was on her feet his hands shot out and seized her upper arms in a vice-like grip, jerking her towards him. Zelda crashed into his chest with a gasp, cheeks burning in mortification and fear at the realisation that the thin material of her gown was the only thing separating them as his heat sank into her form. One hand settled into the small of her back, holding her firmly against him, while the other found her chin and tilted her head back, before trailing slowly down her neck, making her shiver. Ganondorf’s eyes glowed as he leaned down towards her. _Close enough to kiss her_. Zelda couldn’t help the slight gasp she let out as her gaze involuntarily fell to his mouth. It was only a second before she jerked her eyes up to look at him again, but it was a second long enough as that dangerous looking mouth hitched up in a decidedly pleased smirk.

“Why Princess.” He purred against her ear. “Surely that’s not what it looks like.”

Zelda closed her eyes briefly at the jeering tone to his voice, afraid to answer, then froze at the realisation the hand he had at her back was drifting lower. “What are you doing?” She quavered.

Ganondorf’s only reply was a chuckle. His hand suddenly curved over her backside, and Zelda jolted in his grasp, attempting to twist out of his hold. Her cheeks burned as he tightened his grip with a lascivious snicker, his hand dipping lower, and she instinctively jerked her knee up, jamming it as hard as she could towards his crotch. His breath hissed out as she connected with her target, causing him to grunt and let her go suddenly, and Zelda tripped backwards into the wall. Ganondorf took up all of the space so she couldn’t even try to flee, and as she desperately looked around for something to protect herself with, the surprised, slightly pained look on the Demon King’s faced was replaced by a look of fury. He lunged forwards, the back of his palm impacting on her cheek with a _CRACK_ that echoed around the room. In the same instant, he had her pinned up against the wall, ripping her head back with a furious snarl.

Zelda pushed ineffectually against his shoulders, tears brimming in her eyes as her cheek burned in pain, flinching at the look on his face as he bent down to growl in her face.

“You will pay for that, Princess.” He promised grimly. Ganondorf moved off her then and started walking, dragging her across the room by her upper arm, his grip painful. Zelda cried out in pain and fear as she realised her destination; abruptly, he seized her waist with his free hand and threw her onto his bed. She barely had time to sit up before he was on top of her, straddling one of her thighs and pinning her hands above her head. She could see his cruel grin through the haze of her tears as she twisted and bucked beneath him, attempting to kick him off, even as Ganondorf seized her free ankle, running a hand up her leg towards her thigh. _Beneath_ her night slip.

She was screaming at him, trying to hit him, to scratch him, begging him to let her go, dreading what she knew was going to happen next with every fibre of her being when he leaned forwards, pulling a dagger from under his pillow and holding it loose but threateningly in his hand. Zelda quieted and froze, her gaze very much on the sharp blade above her, almost choking on her fear. Tightening his grip on her wrists, Ganondorf leaned forwards, touching the tip of the dagger gently to the hollow of her throat. His eyes gleamed as he slowly stroked the blade back and forth over her skin and Zelda moaned slightly in her fear as she screwed her eyes shut. She flinched as she felt the cold bite of the blade touch her sternum over her nightgown and trace down between her ribs.  
“Now –” He said darkly “– you’re going to learn _exactly_ what’s going to happen to you if you continue to behave in such a way.” Ganondorf moved the blade then, sliding it beneath the straps of her nightgown and slicing through them cleanly, peeling her nightgown down to her waist. Zelda shut her eyes hard as the knife trailed down between the valley of her bare breasts, down to her sternum. The cold, slightly ticklish touch of steel soon became fiery ribbons of pain as he carved several shallow slices across her ribs, and Zelda cried out in pain, her body jerking beneath his. Her eyes opened as his pleased chuckle met her ears.

Ganondorf was enjoying himself immensely. The princess’s pale, unblemished skin was the perfect canvas on which to create his masterpiece. He stared, fascinated as her blood welled to the surface of her fine skin, creating slender crimson lines across her ribs. Words couldn’t describe how beautiful she looked to him in that moment; her blood on his fingers, the cries of pain trembling on her lips caused by his hand. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“Are you going to behave, Princess?”

“Yes.” She groaned instantly, and he felt a thrill run through his spine at her compliance.

“Good. Now, I want you to apologise to me.”

“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t keep the tears from her voice, and Ganondorf smirked broadly at her.

“That’s better.” He brushed a finger over one of the cuts, making her whimper. “I think… you’ve had enough for now. I’m going to let you go, but only if you swear to me you will never do that again.” He raised a hand to the scratches on his cheek from her nails and raised a brow at her, waiting to hear her response. Zelda nodded desperately.

“I swear it.” She gasped out. The fear in her eyes was delightful; she wasn’t the sort of woman to take things lying down, and to make her submit to him was a truly sublime sensation.

Ganondorf stood up then, taking one of her hands and pulling her upright. Zelda attempted to pull her ruined nightgown up higher to cover her breasts; the fine material stuck to her wounds, spreading blotches of red over the delicate white lawn. The Gerudo King released her hand and made a flicking motion with his fingers, clearly telling her to leave. Zelda slipped from the bed like she’d been burned, stumbling as she ran across the room, the chain making a hideous noise from her exertion before she sank down on her next of blankets, holding her nightgown to her chest and staring fearfully at the Demon King as her mind churned with horror.

She had no idea what had just happened. She’d thought he was going to rape her, but… he didn’t. Zelda blinked away tears as she attempted to pull the material of her gown away from her cuts to stop them from sticking while keeping her breasts covered, which was no mean feat. Now what was she going to do? This had been her only item of clothing. Her eyes snapped up to meet Ganondorf’s gaze when he chuckled.

“That was rather fun, was it not?” He asked, grinning darkly. The Demon King shrugged into a shirt, holding a coat in one hand, and with a final mocking grin, he left the room. Zelda was utterly relieved that he had, for it allowed her to get her thoughts in order. She’d never experienced anything like this before, never even dreamed it was possible for anyone to do such a thing. Ganondorf truly was a monster. She lay down slowly, clutching her pillow to her tightly until the moment she registered that it held his scent. Tossing it down to her feet, Zelda pillowed her head on her arm instead. She lost track of how long she’d been lying there; hours had passed, judging by the movement of the sun she could see through the window, and Zelda knew she had to rethink the way she behaved in front of him – he would hurt her so easily, and she resolved never to act so stupidly again.


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda deals with the fact that she's been kidnapped by a man who won't hesitate to hurt her - and Link gets a little lost.

Zelda spent a long few hours ignoring the Demon King once he’d returned. He ignored her too, sitting at his desk and writing things down, all the while absentmindedly flipping a small dagger – the same one he’d used to cut her with – around in his fingers. She knew it was deliberate; it was a warning to her. She lay there quietly, one eye on him to make sure she knew where he was at all times, and thought. Her wounds, shallow as they were, had closed up by now, though they still hurt. The sun was setting by the time Ganondorf abruptly left the room, and then a few minutes later he returned. The door opened and she flinched, burying herself deeper under the blankets as the Gerudo King entered the room. He smirked and tossed a small bundle at her. Zelda picked it up hesitantly; it was a small bag, which was revealed to contain a small tin of salve and blessedly, a needle and thread. She looked up at him, bewildered.

“Thank you.” She stuttered, courtesy getting the best of her.

Ganondorf ignored her completely as he raked a hand through his long hair, pulling off his thorned crown and setting it aside, before he turned to face her.

“Don’t disobey me again.”

His voice was dark and cold, and Zelda lowered her eyes as she nodded.

“I won’t.” She whispered, and it was true. He hadn’t hesitated in the slightest to hurt her, and she had absolutely no interest in finding out what else he would punish her with.

“I mean it.” He growled out. “I won’t hesitate to make you bleed.”

She swallowed hard. “I understand that now.”

“Good.”

Zelda watched the Demon King walk over to the dining table and sit down, propping his feet up on another chair as he pulled out a cloth and began to polish his crown. Zelda took the opportunity to turn her back to him and let her nightgown drop, applying the salve quickly to her cuts, and then she threaded the needle and stitched her gown back together. It wasn’t the neatest job in the world, nor was it particularly even, but she wanted to get it done quickly. She could always touch it up later. Turning back around with her nightgown intact once more, Zelda blanched to find him looking her direction, feeling uneasy at the knowledge that he’d have seen her bare back.

Surprisingly, he made no illusion to her partial nudity, just watched her for a moment.

“Bring me an apple.” He said abruptly, and Zelda frowned.

“Pardon?”

“An apple. Bring me one.”

Zelda bit her lip nervously as she saw that little dagger appear in his hand once more, so she stood up, making her way across the room towards the fruit bowl that sat on the sideboard. Thinking it’d probably be best to maybe try and get back on his good side, she looked over her shoulder.

“Just an apple?” She asked quietly, and when he inclined his head once, she grabbed the best looking piece of fruit she could see, and walked hesitantly towards him. Ganondorf made no violent moves towards her however, and Zelda handed him the apple and watched him bite into it for a moment. “Anything else?” She asked, and he grinned slightly.

“That’s gotten you to behave, hasn’t it? Order dinner.”

Zelda nodded and went to the bellpull, and once she had ordered (having needed help to remember the correct word to address the lizardalfos that greeted her), she went back to her corner, sitting down on her rugs, only to look up and find that Ganondorf was watching her rather contemplatively. “I’m perfectly serious you know, Princess. I won’t tolerate that kind of behaviour from you… but I also intend to use you for bargaining purposes, and I can’t do that if you are not whole. Not to mention how utterly tempting it is to take you for myself. You need to learn not-”

Zelda involuntarily giggled into the back of her hand, and Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. She knew exactly what that meant, and by the Goddesses, was she going to use it to her advantage.

“And just what, may I ask-” He asked silkily. “-is so funny?”

She bit her lip and stifled the remainder of her giggles. “Whole? You need me whole? By that I suppose you mean pure? Unspoiled? _Virtuous_ , perhaps?”

“Yes.” He looked suspicious and a trifle confused. “I do.”

Zelda smirked at him. “Then you may have something of a problem.” She snickered lightly to herself. “For you see, I am not a virgin.”

She had the unmistakable pleasure of watching his eyes pop wide in astonishment.

“My parents have no idea, of course. But judging from your words you were banking on the idea that I would be tested somehow, and that my purity having been proven, they would agree to whatever it is you wish?” Zelda batted her eyelashes as innocently as possible. “What will you do now?”

Ganondorf looked furious. He raked a hand viciously through his hair, cursing and muttering under his breath in yet another foreign language, and turned to pace the room, occasionally giving her very dirty looks.

Finally, the Gerudo King stomped over to stand directly in front of her, arms folded. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that? That the perfect and practically divine Princess of Hyrule is not an innocent?” He growled the words, glaring.

“It is the truth.” Zelda felt a whole lot braver now that she’d derailed his plans. Perhaps now he’d let her go? _Wishful thinking_ , she told herself.

“Hmm.” He started pacing again.

Ganondorf snarled under his breath, glancing over at the princess briefly; she looked very pleased with herself. Now what was he going to do? His plan had hinged on the fact that Hylian’s placed the purity of their women up on pedestals; he’d planned on bribing the King and Queen of Hyrule with the promise their daughter would go untouched. Now, with a simple confession, Zelda had thrown a wrench straight into the middle of his delicately built web of lies and deals, tearing it to shreds.

He glared at her; she was far too smug. And then, it hit him – a thought which sent the most peculiar feeling of pleasure curling through his chest as his gaze roamed over her form. “Why Princess.” He began with a smirk. “Do you know what this means?”

Her brows drew together slightly, and she shook her head.

“It means I no longer need concern myself with… _restraint_.” Ganondorf purred the words, making them as soft yet threatening as possible, smirking as Zelda’s eyes widened and she shrank back slightly.

“Oh.” She said in a very tiny voice. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’ll forget I said that?”

Ganondorf chuckled. “I doubt it.”

She swallowed visibly. “I was afraid of that.”

He stared at her curiously. “Tell me, Princess: I thought your Hylian penchant for propriety would bar you from ever entering into intimacy with a man out of wedlock. Why isn’t it so?”

Zelda frowned, furrowing her delicate brow. “If you really must know, it was the prince of Labrynna, a charming man, and far too persuasive for his own good.”

“And Wisdom was swayed by his charms?” He was very curious now. He’d never have imagined such behaviour from the prim and proper princess.

“No. Well, yes, I suppose, but I made a conscious decision to agree; you see, he was my fiancé.”

Ganondorf raised a brow. Evidently, he’d been stuck in these blasted mountains for too long, for he’d had no idea she was betrothed to anyone. “Oh? And where is this gallant prince now? Rushing to save you?”

A flicker of hurt and anguish shimmered in her eyes, clearly visible in the dull gloom of the room. “No. I have no doubt he would be if he could, but Torrol is dead; he was injured in battle. The wound became inflamed and he did not survive.”

He considered these words carefully. “I see.” He turned towards the door; he had to think carefully, and he couldn’t do it with the princess looking at him.

 

* * *

 

Link arrived at the Kokiri village to find most of them scurrying around preparing food and hanging decorations. Ledu explained that there was a birthday party on that night, and he was invited. Figuring this way he’d have a full belly and be well rested, Link agreed. The part was magnificently fun, with Kokiri everywhere singing and dancing, and he almost forgot why he was there. Almost.

“Link! Link! You came!”

There were cheers all around as he dismounted and began to unsaddle Epona, a large grin on his face. His friends could take some of the worry off his shoulders for a least one night.

The party was heaps of fun. He laughed and drank and sang and stuffed himself full of delicious forest food, and all his little Kokiri friends capered around with him during the celebrations, until gradually the late hour began to get the better of all of them.

Finally, the party wound down, and they all started to fall asleep, Link covered in a veritable blanket of Kokiri and Epona happily munching away at some apples. When dawn broke, the Hero staggered to his feet, attempting not to disturb the sleeping Kokiri around him. He left them a note, not wanting to wake them and yet not wanting to leave without saying goodbye. He silently saddled Epona and set off, knowing the importance of reaching the princess. She’d been too long in the monster’s grip already – he had to get to her.

After leaving the village, Link rode for a few hours in silence, heading towards the mountains. He was filled with a sense of gravity that came with not knowing just what he was up against as the tales he’d heard of the Gerudo King spun through his mind. Of course, he didn’t actually know if Ganondorf was responsible for Princess Zelda’s kidnapping or not, but he knew that one way or another, he’d find out.

Deep in his musing, he didn’t notice exactly where Epona was cantering, or else he’d have recognised what they were walking into – Epona moved through an arch between two trees, and there was a flash of golden-green light. Horse and rider froze, both perfectly unconscious of what had happened – they’d stumbled into a time trap, some of which were scattered around the forests, remnants of an ancient war. If you stumbled into one, both mind and body were frozen in time until the trap released you. When you emerged, you couldn’t tell – to your mind, you are simply continuing the next step of your journey, yet six months had passed. Time traps were dangerous and unpredictable – it was hard to know how long a particular one would trap you for – it could be a few days, or it could be years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I know I always said I'd come back to this fic (and a few others) but its been over a year since I updated and my drive to complete this fic is just gone. I no longer like the plot and I can't see anyway of changing the plot while still keeping the chapters that have already been posted, and I can't force myself to write something I don't enjoy. I'm sorry if you wanted to see this fic finished (and I do too, to be honest) but it just isn't going to work out. I'm sorry :(


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